In this episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, master data storyteller Sam Knowles is joined by Mike Ellicock, Founder and Chief Executive of The Plain Numbers Project. Plain Numbers says of its purpose: “We enable clear communication of numbers everywhere so that people can better understand the choices they face in life.” This matters, because about half the adults in the UK have the numeracy skills expected of a primary school child. And one in five suffers from “maths anxiety”.

Plain Numbers works with all sorts of organisations to help them communicate the numbers that matter in ways that are clear, fair, and never misleading. Organisations like banks and building societies, insurers and utility companies, national and local government. Plain Numbers trains, assesses, and accredits individuals, teams, and whole organisations to communicate their data more effectively and transparently.

The company’s approach is both deeply practical – developing the skills that businesses need for clear and simple communication of numbers – and deeply strategic, going and gaining access to the most senior decision-makers (often Government ministers) to effect meaningful, systemic change.

The progress Plain Numbers has made in just a few years has been accelerated by the introduction of the Financial Conduct Authority’s rules and guidance on Consumer Duty which “sets high standards of consumer protection across financial services and requires firms to put their customers' needs first”.

Before founding Plain Numbers, Mike was the Founder and Chief Executive of the charity National Numeracy, which he ran throughout the twenty-teens. Prior to that he ran Numicon, an innovative, multi-sensory approach to teaching maths at primary school level, up to the time when Numicon was acquired by Oxford University Press.

For seven years either side of the millennium, Mike was a Captain in the Parachute Regiment. Outside of the day job, he still takes fitness and the realisation of what’s possible physically to new heights – and always through a data-driven, evidence-based lens.

In 2015, Mike broke the world record for running a marathon wearing a 20lb back-pack, shaving ten minutes off the previous best by clocking a time of just 2h 56m 39s, a record that stands to this day. Next year he’s aiming to row around the British Isles in under 40 days.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Plain Numbers home page – https://plainnumbers.org.uk

The Plain Numbers in Practice report from June 2024 – https://bit.ly/4c2e0Bv

Mike’s LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-ellicock/

FCA Consumer Duty – https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/consumer-duty

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